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It all started with a telephone call from, can you believe the
name, Len Gabriels of Skyhooks, Oldham, Ltd. Manufacturers
of hang gliders. I first met Len awhile back when I was selling
hang gliders and as he made some of the best it was natural to
deal with him. When ever I got an invite to meet up with Len I
accepted with alacrity, for I found out that he was a real inventor
and always came up with interesting ideas. At the time he was in
his mid to late forties and working out of a mill in Oldham
where his company was based. He had started out designing a
machine for rolling wall paper which eventually sold all over the
world before Len graduated to making things more aerodynamic.
He was also heavily into radio controlled model flying so it was
natural for him to get into hang gliding and more.
“Can I come and test fly something on your airfield he
asked?” Now this did take me a little by surprise as I cannot
remember actually owning an airfield. He might mean the
disused one at Ashbourne on which I did do some tow
...

With more and more airlines arguing that even with Iceland's latest ash cloud descending over Europe it is still safe to fly, a flight operations manual released by Airbus has revealed just how damaging a meeting with volcanic ash can be on a modern plane.
...

Organisers want to hold the event in June, but there are concerns from police about the sale of alcohol at the venue.

A Temporary Event Notice has been submitted for entertainment and late night refreshment for up to 250 people, between 10 and 12 June, 2011.

According to the application, the festival would feature a mobile bar in a marquee on the airfield at Scotchells Brook Lane.

But police have objected to the plan, saying the consider the sale of alcohol at the site a risk to public safety.

They add that the temporary event notice "contains no information as to how the organisers will promote the licensing objectives, in particular to prevent persons becoming intoxicated and subsequently flying aircraft or taking part in the supervision of flying activities."

Police add that the continuous 72-hour nature of the event means it is likely that there will be increased numbers at night time, with a greater risk of crime and disorder.

Event Organiser, John Brutnell, told Isle of Wight Radio that he was very surprised at the police objection after 10 years of running a very safe and successful event which benefits the local community.

And John Moore, who organised the event until last year, added: "Ever since 2001, annual events right through until 2010, in all that time there has only ever been one incident with the police and it didn't even involve us! In all that time there has been issues or any problems, there have been no issues of drinking and flying - even the suggestion of that appalls me!"

And John told Isle of Wight Radio that pilots have to adhere to strict guidelines: "Every pilot that takes part is a licenced pilot, which means that he has taken examinations in things like human performance limitations. So, a lot more than your average car driver or your normal person. He's taken exams and training in the danger of drink and drugs on aviation. And the actual limit, by the way, is a quarter of that of driving. So even though the limit is that of a quarter of that of driving, no-one has ever done this."

Councillors on the Licensing Committee will have to decide if they agree with police at their meeting on Monday, 23 May.

Report by Emma Philo

Why not contact me with your thoughts on this story? You can contact me by phoning 01983 821777 or email emma.philo@iwradio.co.uk or add your comment to this story below.

SAN DIEGO -- They fly low and slow over the border, their wings painted black and motors humming faintly under moonlit skies. The pilots, some armed in the open cockpits, steer the horizontal control bar with one hand and pull a latch with the other, releasing 250-pound payloads that land with a thud, leaving only craters as evidence of another successful smuggling run.

TWO pilots whizzed within metres of people and cars whilst using a crowded County Londonderry beach as an impromptu runway prompting owner Coleraine Borough Council to report the matter to the United Kingdom’s main airport authority.